Life = Art

This little 12″ square painting (Blue Water Bird) is the next one in my current bird series. I like using these small canvases and boards – the whole thing can be completed in and hour or so. Plus, it’s a small commitment, so if the picture turns out unsatisfactorily, I don’t feel too bad about it.

The painting below (Bird In Blue And Brown) was done a couple of weeks prior to the one above. It’s based on an old mosaic, which helps account for some of the strange color/design. This one is also 12″ square.

Angels might be blue, right? Or orange? Some say they don’t really have wings or halos. Never having seen an angel, I like to imagine them as colorful and shiny. Some accounts I’ve heard report they are very large, but the Bible says that some of us have “entertained angels without knowing it,” which makes me think they don’t always look extraordinary.

The thing I do know about angels is that they are around all the time, and most of us cannot yet see them. I was thinking about angels as I was preparing for the recent Northern Colorado Worship Night. This is the painting I did during that event, which I’m calling “Let Heaven Come,” in keeping with the theme of the evening. (The size is 2′ x 3′). The painting of Jesus, below, was done by my friend, Eric Holmlund. As I recall, it’s about the same size as my picture above. Nice work, Eric!

Being outdoors is one of the best parts of living in Colorado. It’s the reason so many people move here, since there are so many beautiful places to hike, ski, fish, and generally enjoy mountains, rivers, and animal life. Plein Air painting is popular among the artists of my home state. My artist husband, Scott, has done quite a bit of painting close to our home. I painted this one of him, “My Painter,” a few years ago. It’s done in oil, which was once my primary medium. Now, it’s rare for me to use oils, though I still like them.

Landscape painting has never been my favorite. However, I do appreciate a great landscape! The piece below, “Near Sylvan Dale,” is of one of the many striking areas within a few minutes of where I live. This little piece does not do it justice, of course, but it was fun to paint.

Northern Colorado is home to many wonderful churches. A group of friends are getting together regularly, meeting in various churches, to make music and art while worshiping God together. It’s a way to actually be a part of the answer to Jesus’s prayer in the book of John, chapter 17. He was praying that His followers would “be one.” He was asking for unity among churches, which are really one big church.

Jesus also talked about letting our “light shine.” We generally take that to mean that we live out the kindness and love that God shows to us by, in turn, showing it to other people.

Last night, I had the pleasure of painting during one of these gatherings, along with 4 other artists. Two of the other artists were under the age of 9, which was great! This is the painting that I did, and I wish I had snapped more photos, so you could see the other artists’ work. Perhaps next time…

Birds are pretty cool. The shapes they make are intriguing to me. I realize that, for some reason, birds sort of get a bad literary rap. In the Bible, for example, there’s the whole thing about birds in a basket on top of a guy’s head signifying that he’s about to be hanged. Not sure what that’s all about. Still, I like birds. And, they fly. That alone is enough of a reason to like them.

With all this in mind, my long-time interest in birds is finally materializing in some pictures of these lovely creatures. We shall see where it all goes over the coming weeks, but I have a whole series in mind, I think, featuring birds, and probably, people.

Last week, a gathering of people met in what used to be described as a “honkey tonk,” but is now known as a “cowboy church.” Friends, Jorie and Matt Henderson were playing music, along with several others. They invited me to paint throughout the evening; this painting, “Ever Present III,” was the result.

It’s especially fun to note that the folks who met together that evening were from at least 5 different northern Colorado churches. I think God was smiling.

If you’re in the area next month and enjoy community worship, why not join us? https://www.facebook.com/events/213571442320575/

“Community” is a painting Scott and I did live for a volunteer dinner for Loveland Museum Gallery this fall.

My husband, Scott, and I have both been doing live painting for years. He mostly does choreographed, perfectly-timed, planned-out paintings set to specific music. I, on the other hand, mostly do spontaneous painting to random music. I sometimes have a vague idea of what I will paint, but many times, I begin with almost no idea of what will appear as I put brush to canvas.

We recently teamed up for our very first live painting collaboration. The Loveland Museum Gallery invited us to do a piece for their annual volunteer appreciation dinner. We love our museum, and were happy for the opportunity. We enjoyed a lovely evening with the folks from the museum.

We also learned that it is possible for us to merge our ways of working. Partly planned, partly spontaneous, thought out but with lots of latitude – this painting was lots of fun to do!

After 30 years of marriage and raising 5 kids together, Mollie and I have accumulated a beloved little collection of illustrated Christmas storybooks. When I worked at Hallmark Cards, the Creative Library there would bring in some of the best Christmas books on the market, and I ordered a few of my favorites for my kids (and for Mollie and myself!)

Some we bought for the great artwork, some we bought for the story. The best ones combined both. An important part of our Christmas season included slowing down, snuggling up, and reading Christmas stories to the kids in the evenings in December.

But I could never find a book like the one I’m making available to you and your family today.

Special care has been taken in The True Story of Christmas to remain as true to the biblical narrative as possible while still keeping the story accessible and…

There is a very nice show up at the Creative Framing Gallery in Louisville, Colorado. Okay, I have to say that, because I am a featured artist in the show. But still, I do like the work, in general, quite a lot. Here’s a painting by a lovely lady I met, who is originally from Colombia, but has lived in Colorado for a number of years. Her name is Ana Maria Botero. This particular piece is not in the gallery. I pulled it from her website. Her abstract and colorful work instantly attracted me, which may not be a surprise to you, if you are familiar with my tastes!

This dance painting, “Attitude In Blue,” is my latest. I turned it in to the gallery today, along with the other dance painting I recently did, to replace the 3 paintings which have sold since the opening of the show last month. I don’t think I will ever tire of painting dancers.